Former Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor testified Thursday in the second day of witness testimony in a federal gambling trial that he saw nothing unusual about pitches thrown by Emmanuel Clase or Luis Ortiz that the government alleges were rigged to benefit bettors. Naylor, a defense witness, reviewed video replays of pitches prosecutors say were predetermined by Clase or Ortiz as part of a betting scheme.
Naylor was behind the plate for many of those pitches and described them as common sliders outside the strike zone. He said scouting reports on the hitters Luis Ortiz faced indicated sliders low and away would be a "weapon." Naylor caught 14 of Ortiz's 16 starts in 2025, including the June 27 game against the St. Louis Cardinals, one of two games where Ortiz allegedly rigged a pitch.
Naylor also caught seven of the 18 pitches Emmanuel Clase is accused of rigging in 17 games from May 19, 2023, to May 28, 2025. He told the court none were remarkable or out of the ordinary. Naylor said he did not know sportsbooks offered bets on individual pitch results or speed until the case became public. Government witness Edward Canario testified he used information from co-defendant Luis Arismendy Paca Méndez to bet on Clase pitches, placing wagers upwards of $600 per wager. Clase and Ortiz were indicted in November 2025 and face charges of conspiracy to commit wire and honest services fraud, sports bribery and money laundering.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing